Candy Dance Arts and Crafts Faire

Candy Dance Arts and Crafts Faire

Last full weekend in September

In 1919, the Candy Dance began in the town of Genoa, in northern Nevada, as a way to raise funds to install street lights. Lillian Virgin Finnegan, daughter of a local judge, proposed a dance where candy would be distributed to dancing couples, followed by a midnight supper at the local hotel. The townswomen made a variety of candies for the occasion, and the event raised enough money to install the needed lights. The following year, however, the town was having trouble paying the electric bill for those lights, and so the Candy Dance returned.This annual event raising funds to pay for the street lights soon became a popular event, attracting dancers from Reno and Carson City to join the fun. More than two tons of candy is now consumed during the dance weekend. In the 1970s, an arts and crafts fair featuring 300 booths of merchandise was added to the two-day event. Locals dressed as Wyatt Earp and his cohorts roam the town, engaging in gunfights. Activities for children include candle-making, face-painting, and tattoos. The Candy Dance Arts and Crafts Faire, as it is now officially known, provides a substantial part of Genoa's annual operating budget.

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